WA population hit 8M in 2025, while migration to the U.S. fell
Washington state crossed a population milestone in the latest Census Bureau estimates: As of July 1, 2025, the state had 8 million residents for the first time. The population estimate, to be precise, was 8,001,020. Washington remained the 13th most populous state.
Washington hit this milestone due to a year of solid growth. From July 1, 2024, to July 1, 2025, the state’s population increased by about 73,000 people, or just under 1%. Among the states, Washington ranked seventh in growth rate. South Carolina was No. 1, at 1.5%, while Vermont had the biggest decline, dropping 0.3%.
Washington ranked sixth among the states for numeric growth, behind four Sunbelt states. Texas again recorded the largest one-year increase, adding roughly 391,000 residents. Florida, North Carolina, Georgia and South Carolina followed.
California had the largest population decline, at around 9,000. Four other states lost residents: Hawaii, Vermont, New Mexico and West Virginia.
Washington’s growth last year was notable in that all three major components of population change – natural change, domestic migration and international migration – were positive.
Natural change (births minus deaths) added about 17,000 residents to Washington’s population. There were roughly 83,000 births in the state and 66,000 deaths. This marked Washington’s strongest natural increase so far this decade.
Washington was one of 33 states, plus the District of Columbia, with a positive natural change. In 17 states, deaths exceeded births. Pennsylvania had the largest natural decline, with a net loss of about 11,000.
Washington gained about 55,000 residents through migration, both domestic and international. That ranked eighth among the states. Texas topped the list at 235,000, followed by Florida and North Carolina. California had the biggest decline from migration, at around 120,000, followed by New York and Hawaii.
Domestic migration played a smaller role than international migration in the state’s population growth. Washington had a net gain of about 9,000 residents from other states. That ranked Washington 16th. It wasn’t a huge increase, but it represents a big jump from the previous year, when Washington gained only around 2,000 residents through domestic migration – and before that, the state had three consecutive years of losses.
North Carolina led the nation in domestic migration, with a net gain of about 84,000 residents from other states, followed by Texas and South Carolina. California experienced the largest domestic outflow, with a net loss of 229,000 residents to other states, followed by New York and Illinois.
International migration accounted for the largest share of Washington’s population growth. From 2024 to 2025, the state added about 46,000 residents from abroad, more than half of its total population increase. That ranked Washington seventh in international migration. Florida recorded the largest international inflow, adding roughly 179,000 residents, followed by Texas and California.
Washington’s total net international migration declined from the previous year, when it was about 71,000. That slowdown was not unique. The data shows every state experienced a decline in international migration last year, and many of those declines were significant. Nationally, international migration fell from 2.73 million in 2024 to 1.26 million last year.
This represents a historic decline in international migration, according to the Census Bureau. It was caused by both a decrease in immigration to the U.S. and an increase in emigration from the U.S. This was likely due, at least in part, to the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
Looking over the longer period from 2020 to 2025, Washington added several hundred thousand residents overall. International migration accounted for most of that growth, while domestic migration contributed relatively little, and natural increase gradually weakened.
Nationally, the population increased by about 1.78 million, bringing the total to nearly 342 million.